Trump meets Zelenskky, EU leaders at oval office on Ukraine ‘Big Day’
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Monday met with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskky along with key European leadersat the oval office to discuss a potential ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, according to the White House a day of high profile diplomacy in a statement issued.
The meeting came 3 days after the high-stakes summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where they discussed ways to end the Ukraine war.
Trump received Zelenskky at the West Entrance of the White House and greeted him with a handshake, media reported.
Trump and Zelenskky held a bilateral meeting and followed by the US President’s group meeting with European leaders.
He said that there is good chance “something” can come of the meeting.
“It’s an honor to have the President of Ukraine with us. We have had a lot of good discussions, a lot of good talks. I think progress is being made, very substantial progress in many ways. We had a good meeting just a short while ago with the President of Russia. I think, there is a possibility that something could come out of it and today’s meeting is very important. We have seven very powerful leaders from Europe and are going to be meeting with them right after this meeting…,” he said.
Trump said that if today’s meeting goes well, there will be a trilateral meeting among Ukraine, Russia and the US.
“If everything works out well today, we’ll have a trilateral and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” he added.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived at the White House for Trump-Zelenskky talks, media reported.
The talks are crucial given the Alaska summit didn’t produce an outcome, Trump desired.
Trump had said he wanted a ceasefire agreement but that could not happen ahead of the Alaska summit.
Both leaders said that they made a significant progress to end the Ukraine conflict.
Putin is believed to have conveyed his position on ending the war Ukraine leaving NATO ambitions, ceding its territories being held by Russian troops and recognizing Crimnea and Donbass region as part of Russian Federation.
Zelenskky has stated that Ukrainians will never agree to ceding its territories to Russia let alone recognized the Russian occupation of its land.
EU leaders have raised concerns that Trump may pressurize Zelenskky on giving up land to Russia.
They have also sought clarity on Ukraine’s security guarantees.
Steve Witkoff, special envoy who accompanied the US President during his Friday’s meeting with Putin in Alaska, claimed that the Russian President had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give “robust security” guarantees to Ukraine.
Russia has yet to confirm this, fueling unease among Zelenskky’s European allies.
